quidamling (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
quidamling) wrote2011-07-17 12:52 am
quidamling) wrote2011-07-17 12:52 am
Entry tags:
Alive in Alaska.... Day 1
I am alive. I swear. Though, also damn internetless. There is FREE wifi in the downtown area, aka just far enough from home to be no good. And the router at home is a spazzy hot mess. I think it needs to be thrown out the window reset, but it lives in the landlord's house, so roomie says it's usually a no-no to go in and hit it with a hammer try. But we might get desperate.
Ok, quickest of quick rundowns. And my internet ate a draft of this once already. Not that the first version was any sort of literary gem. Usually when I post about my life I literally type as I would speak. And thus, most sentences start with conjunctions and how do I verb? Anyway. If you can put up with the lack of grammar (that I can use, see my fics, nouns and adjectively verbing them happen all over the place) you win the internets.
So my week o' fun. Monday, sent fun things to April. Then met a friend from first real job evar. She is still in Boston and awesome and we met and caught up. But I went to visit her in Australia, so odds are she will come here. Woo!
Ummm. Tuesday... Tuesday Tuesday... Oh. I tried to make sure Lappers Jr. was all updated and ready to travel. I also did those pesky last minute things like packing soap and some random food and washing the last few things I had worn since I vacuum sealed everything else to within an inch of its life.
Wednesday was the big day. I was up at the lovely 4AM hour to get out the door around 5. Said goodbye to dad and the canids and headed out. Got to Logan fine, one overweight bag. But, you know, for a year, screw it. I was mildly annoyed with a stupid lady at the security line. Yes, I have two laptops. Mega Lappers, which is a 17 inch screen I watch movies on, and an itteh bitteh Lappers Jr. committeh and NO neither of them are getting checked. So, as a fairly regular, if not frequent flier, I was trying to get them out in line, and this cranky lady hollers at me. Then she makes me get out of line to "condense." Screw you, woman. They are laptops. Not packages. I lost my spot in line and my mother panicked when I came back out of line. But anyway. Organized, glared, got back in line and went. A guy had to swab my bag, but all was well. And we joked about flying with noms. I had much chocolate from Kitteh in my bag. MINE! XD
Got on my flight, it was fine. Long, but fine. Landed in Seattle, and that city is pretty from the air. Someday I should go there on purpose. Unfortunately, I had 4 hours to sit there and think that.
Next leg was Seattle to Ketchikan. It was shorter, and I was on a Disney themed airplane, which amused my dad... way more than necessary.
Anyway. We land in Ketchikan, which is nothing but a little racetrack oval of a runway running across a hill. You land on the uphill side, U-turn to the downhill side and pull up to the single terminal.
We let off the people, got some new ones, and off to Sitka.
It was honestly very pretty on the way in, mountains with clouds tucked around like blankets, shimmering lakes nestled in peaks, islands with shores like carelessly tossed ribbons. Guh. It was amazing. Why I always sit on the window, even if I need to clamber over a sleeping old dude to get out to pee.
So I was next to a local on the plane. A much older guy. He had lived in Sitka for 40 years and gave some local knowledge, which was nice. One tip was telling how it will look like we are about to land in the ocean until the utter last second when the tarmac begins. He was right.
This, however was after we had to turn around the island to come at the runway from the right direction and I very nearly had tears from looking out the window. Little rocky islands, boats, I saw one setting a gill net, and kelp beds. Ahh! I was just about crying over kelp beds. *bio dork is GO!*
So we land, yay. Then Senior Old Guy, had to help Senora Managed to be Even Older Lady Spouse out of her seat. So I was almost literally the last person off the plane. And that is what really is my least favorite part of flying, being stuck on the damn plane. It just... arg, starts messing with my claustrophobic tendencies.
Off the plane, and met by a new coworker with a sign. Aww! I'd always wanted to have that happen. We get my luggage. One bag is frothing. Rabid luggage, rabid luggage! Save yourselves! Or, oh, failure to pack soaps/toiletries in adequate amounts of plastic. Oops. That's why it was an external pocket of the old, ratty duffel. Bags are chucked in my house. we toured, got dinner with a few other program members, more touring, walked around, the girl that grew up in Alaska is significantly less impressed than I at seeing bald eagles... shown another house were program people live, finally dropped off at the house.
At this point... I have been up for 23 straight hours minus plane naps. I tried to unpack, get out the soap, made my bed, showered and fell into it after attempting to connect to the very shoddy internet and informing at least some people that care about me that I was alive.
PS April rocks, and because of her, so does my bed.
...
Wait... that came out wrong.
Umm.
She...
Well...
Here. Pics or it didn't happen.
Yes. That is Ironhide. I should have spread it out more, but I am trying not to utterly terrify my new housemates. He is warm and comfortable, and I think he really classes up the ghetto mattress on floor bed motif I have going. Rock on, Ironhide and April, rock on.
And oh, there's the rest of the week. I might post. Iunno. There aren't really pics. Aside from these cute camper kids one of my housemates was wrangling after I was doing paperwork on Thursday. They were playing Sardines. And this was the best round they managed in an empty school.
Yay! And oh yeah, internet is crappy at best. I'll reply... when the wifi gods allow it.
Ok, quickest of quick rundowns. And my internet ate a draft of this once already. Not that the first version was any sort of literary gem. Usually when I post about my life I literally type as I would speak. And thus, most sentences start with conjunctions and how do I verb? Anyway. If you can put up with the lack of grammar (that I can use, see my fics, nouns and adjectively verbing them happen all over the place) you win the internets.
So my week o' fun. Monday, sent fun things to April. Then met a friend from first real job evar. She is still in Boston and awesome and we met and caught up. But I went to visit her in Australia, so odds are she will come here. Woo!
Ummm. Tuesday... Tuesday Tuesday... Oh. I tried to make sure Lappers Jr. was all updated and ready to travel. I also did those pesky last minute things like packing soap and some random food and washing the last few things I had worn since I vacuum sealed everything else to within an inch of its life.
Wednesday was the big day. I was up at the lovely 4AM hour to get out the door around 5. Said goodbye to dad and the canids and headed out. Got to Logan fine, one overweight bag. But, you know, for a year, screw it. I was mildly annoyed with a stupid lady at the security line. Yes, I have two laptops. Mega Lappers, which is a 17 inch screen I watch movies on, and an itteh bitteh Lappers Jr. committeh and NO neither of them are getting checked. So, as a fairly regular, if not frequent flier, I was trying to get them out in line, and this cranky lady hollers at me. Then she makes me get out of line to "condense." Screw you, woman. They are laptops. Not packages. I lost my spot in line and my mother panicked when I came back out of line. But anyway. Organized, glared, got back in line and went. A guy had to swab my bag, but all was well. And we joked about flying with noms. I had much chocolate from Kitteh in my bag. MINE! XD
Got on my flight, it was fine. Long, but fine. Landed in Seattle, and that city is pretty from the air. Someday I should go there on purpose. Unfortunately, I had 4 hours to sit there and think that.
Next leg was Seattle to Ketchikan. It was shorter, and I was on a Disney themed airplane, which amused my dad... way more than necessary.
Anyway. We land in Ketchikan, which is nothing but a little racetrack oval of a runway running across a hill. You land on the uphill side, U-turn to the downhill side and pull up to the single terminal.
We let off the people, got some new ones, and off to Sitka.
It was honestly very pretty on the way in, mountains with clouds tucked around like blankets, shimmering lakes nestled in peaks, islands with shores like carelessly tossed ribbons. Guh. It was amazing. Why I always sit on the window, even if I need to clamber over a sleeping old dude to get out to pee.
So I was next to a local on the plane. A much older guy. He had lived in Sitka for 40 years and gave some local knowledge, which was nice. One tip was telling how it will look like we are about to land in the ocean until the utter last second when the tarmac begins. He was right.
This, however was after we had to turn around the island to come at the runway from the right direction and I very nearly had tears from looking out the window. Little rocky islands, boats, I saw one setting a gill net, and kelp beds. Ahh! I was just about crying over kelp beds. *bio dork is GO!*
So we land, yay. Then Senior Old Guy, had to help Senora Managed to be Even Older Lady Spouse out of her seat. So I was almost literally the last person off the plane. And that is what really is my least favorite part of flying, being stuck on the damn plane. It just... arg, starts messing with my claustrophobic tendencies.
Off the plane, and met by a new coworker with a sign. Aww! I'd always wanted to have that happen. We get my luggage. One bag is frothing. Rabid luggage, rabid luggage! Save yourselves! Or, oh, failure to pack soaps/toiletries in adequate amounts of plastic. Oops. That's why it was an external pocket of the old, ratty duffel. Bags are chucked in my house. we toured, got dinner with a few other program members, more touring, walked around, the girl that grew up in Alaska is significantly less impressed than I at seeing bald eagles... shown another house were program people live, finally dropped off at the house.
At this point... I have been up for 23 straight hours minus plane naps. I tried to unpack, get out the soap, made my bed, showered and fell into it after attempting to connect to the very shoddy internet and informing at least some people that care about me that I was alive.
PS April rocks, and because of her, so does my bed.
...
Wait... that came out wrong.
Umm.
She...
Well...
Here. Pics or it didn't happen.
Yes. That is Ironhide. I should have spread it out more, but I am trying not to utterly terrify my new housemates. He is warm and comfortable, and I think he really classes up the ghetto mattress on floor bed motif I have going. Rock on, Ironhide and April, rock on.
And oh, there's the rest of the week. I might post. Iunno. There aren't really pics. Aside from these cute camper kids one of my housemates was wrangling after I was doing paperwork on Thursday. They were playing Sardines. And this was the best round they managed in an empty school.
Yay! And oh yeah, internet is crappy at best. I'll reply... when the wifi gods allow it.